Halberd. A halberd is a two-handed polearm that came to prominent use from the 13th to 16th centuries.
It is often depicted as a formidable weapon with a long, sturdy shaft and a bladed head. The halberd is frequently seen in the hands of soldiers or knights in battle scenes, symbolizing strength, power, and protection.
It can also be depicted as a symbol of authority or a tool of justice. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft.
It can have a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants and protecting allied soldiers, typically musketeers. The halberd was usually 1.5 to 1.8 metres long.
The word halberd is cognate with the German word Hellebarde, deriving from Middle High German halm and barte joined to form helmbarte. Troops that used the weapon were called halberdiers. The word has also been used to describe a weapon of the early Bronze Age in Western Europe. This consisted of a blade mounted on a pole at a right angle. Early-16th-century miniature depicting the Battle of Grandson, from the Lucerner Schilling. Swiss soldiers can be seen armed with earlier halberds. The halberd is first mentioned in a work by 13th-century German poet Konrad von Würzburg. John of Winterthur described it as a new weapon used by the Swiss at the Battle of Morgarten of 1315. The halberd was inexpensive to produce and very versati